'I was turning into a screaming banshee with my teen. This $10 hack changed everything.'

Parenting a teenage boy who's perpetually plugged into a gaming headset or has AirPods seemingly surgically attached to his ears can be... challenging, to say the least.

Just ask Lise Carlaw, one half of the popular Lise & Sarah podcast, who found herself turning into what she describes as a "banshee" trying to communicate with her 15-year-old son Remy.

"We are trying to give him that space as he's entering those mid to late teen years. And it sounds like he's across the world," Lise told Mamamia.

Watch: Kate Langbroek's son Lewis reviews her parenting. Post continues below.

When Remy moved downstairs late last year, the physical distance created a new communication challenge.

"The downside is that I was screaming like a banshee for too many hours of an afternoon and evening," she explained.

That's when Lise remembered a genius hack she'd filed away in her mental parenting toolkit years ago — a simple doorbell.

The $10 solution that changed everything.

For $10 from Bunnings, Lise purchased a wireless doorbell system. She placed the button in her kitchen and the receiver in Remy's bedroom.

"It's dreamy, I just buzz. I just ring the bell. He's got the receiver end in his room. I've given him the luxury of choosing the ringtone, because there's about 150 different options there," Lise said.

"So I hit the doorbell, and then he pops up like a meerkat. 30 seconds later, I see his six-foot-two frame rolling upstairs, 'Yes, mum.' And I'm like, 'I'm a freaking genius. This is amazing'."

The hack works brilliantly for several reasons. Firstly, teenage boys with gaming headsets genuinely can't hear you call. But there's also something deeper at play.

"I do feel at that age, they start to tune you out, and you become white noise. And it's certainly not from disrespect. He's actually a really good kid, and we have a really lovely relationship," Lise shared.

Game-changer! Image: Supplied.

Since sharing her hack on the podcast, Lise has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many parents simply commenting "genius". However, some have questioned why she doesn't just text her son.

"A lot of people have said to us since the podcast episode aired, 'why don't you just text him?' And I'm like, 'because I'm sick of my phone, and aren't we all?' When I'm cooking spag bog, I don't want to reach for my phone and text my kid, who's 25 meters away. What I'd rather do is open my kitchen cupboard and press the doorbell," she explained.

Others suggested simply walking to his room, but Lise values Remy's privacy — something particularly important as he navigates his teenage years.

"While it might seem like I'm encouraging a disconnection between myself and my son, I really don't believe that. It's just I would rather choose my moments of connection with him and not be around screaming, like, 'can you feed the dog?'" she said.

"I don't overuse it, because that was the other agreement. And that's another thing that I've learnt about being a mother of boys, and particularly, a teenage son, is find your moments.

"I vividly remember being so sick of my mother's voice, even when she was kindly asking me to set the table or letting me know dinner was on. You know, it's almost like that visceral feeling, and I do recall living through that myself back in the '1900s' and I don't want to be that annoyance in his day."

Would you try the doorbell hack? Share in the comments below.

Feature Image: Supplied.

You can listen to the Lise & Sarah podcast here. New DISCO CLUB tour dates and tickets dropping May 12, 1pm AEST. You can purchase tickets here.